Inspiration Takes Many Forms
This is the first opportunity I have had in a couple of days to connect to the internet. The big news is Doug made it safely off of the Pipeline Highway (aka Dalton, Haul). It was an amazing stroke of good luck that he was able to return to Fairbanks so quickly. Here is a photo of Doug's bike on the road:


Here is a picture of his tire with a tire iron poking through the rip.



Fortunately the tire I bought for him in Fairbanks arrived on time and he rode straight through from top of the Haul Highway to Fairbanks. Doug now belongs to a pretty exclusive club; riders who have ridden both the Dalton and the Dempster, end to end, within a 5 day period. Doug's ability inspires me.

In Fairbanks I met a gentleman who road a cruiser on many of the same roads we have ridden. His son followed him in a truck for support. His name is John and he rode from Arizona to Alaska because he wanted an adventure. Frankly I was impressed because he looked about 75 years old. When he told me his age I could have been knocked down with a feather. John is 90 years old. He was born in 1917! My own father who passed away in April was also born in 1917 so I felt a little tinge of nostalgia. John's son who was driving the support truck is 67 years old. John told me he can hardly believe he has a son so old! Here is a picture of John and me:


John is an inspiring man. He is living his dream at the age of 90. I was so impressed by him.

Last night we stayed in Wasilla, Alaska. Wasilla is near Anchorage. We stopped there to visit Friar Mike at the Abbey. Actually Friar Mike is a top notch BMW mechanic and the Abbey is the name of his garage. Both of the bikes needed an oil change and we arranged for Mike to do it.

Mike could not start the job until 8pm so Doug and I went to dinner. In the parking lot we were approached by a fellow named Richie. Richie rides a KTM motorcycle which is a great motorcycle for the type of ride Doug and I are making. Eventually the talk turned to doing things despite disabilities. Of course I made my pitch to get a colonoscopy. One thing let to another until Richie revealed that he rides with a disability as well. Suddenly he reached down and pulled up his right pant leg to show an artificial leg. He lost his leg many years ago and continue to pursue his passion. Richie is an inspiration to me. He is able to ride a KTM off road, which requires a lot of physical activity. His lack of a right leg does not stop him from riding.

Today we arrived in Homer, Alaska:


We immediately rode to the end of the Homer Spitt. The Spitt is a sliver of land that juts out in the water. Lining the Spitt are RV/Camping sites and tons of fish restaurants and tourist traps. It was crowded with tourist and frankly I could not ride out of there fast enough.

For the cancer patients following this blog I must say the ride has actually made me feel better. All of the dermatological side effects of my chemo have cleared up. I needed that! Today I began my oral chemo again, Xeloda. The side effects are manageable.

Two more things on a personal note not related to this trip. You know how everyone worries about you because you ride a motorcycle? Dangerous right? Well my beloved brother, Les was standing under an overpass on highway 101 on his way to his ranch in Willits yesterday while his dog "did his business." Suddenly the ground underneath his feet gave way and he found himself falling down a sharp slope some 35 feet to a river below. When he stopped falling he had dislocated a finger, broken his wrist and his arm. He had to crawl up to his car and he managed to drive the rest of the way to his ranch where he was taken to the hospital. Heal fast Les.

Finally, tomorrow my wife, Joan turns 29 years old yet another time! July 5th is her birthday and I am so sorry to miss it. If you know Joan give her a call or email.

Tomorrow Doug and I want to arrive in Valdez. The problem is how to get there. Doug wants to take a ferry from a city named Whittier. The problem is there is a tunnel that we must ride through and it has a grate surface which is not easy on a motorcycle. Further, the tunnel only opens every 30 minutes to traffic so timing are arrival for the Ferry is tough.

I want to ride to Valdez but it means backtracking on most of the same highway we rode today. Neither Doug or I like this. I think Doug is with me on this one but we will probably take two days to ride to Valdez. Hopefully we can arrive in Valdez early enough on Friday to charter a boat or some other fun activity.

Both Doug and I are home sick and are already planning how to arrive home a few days sooner than our original schedule.

Dell
- posted by Dell @ 8:56 PM